


What Is Lost

by Morgyn Leri (morgynleri)



Series: Night Mirror [4]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Alternate Universe, GFY, Gen, Mirror Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-14
Updated: 2011-07-14
Packaged: 2017-10-21 09:46:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/223823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morgynleri/pseuds/Morgyn%20Leri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The occupant of the chair on the far side of the cooler had to be a ghost, or a hallucination.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Is Lost

_He was fishing, at his cabin in Minnesota. In a pond without fish, with a cooler beside him with lunch. The occupant of the chair on the far side of the cooler had to be a ghost, or a hallucination. Or this was a very cruel dream, even though he didn't think he actually dreamed. Not like this, anyway._

_"Do you have to go, dad?" Charlie was slouched slightly, his shoulders hunched forward as he watched his pole instead of Jack. He had to be at least twelve - was twelve, he remembered. Except that it wasn't his memory, and this wasn't real, couldn't be real, not those memories that filled those years since his son had died._

_"I'm looking for a house, so you and your mom can join me in Washington." While he played the nice with the other political appointees, and smirked inwardly at their mad scramble to ingratiate themselves with him, hoping for more security in their positions. A brigadier general appointed by the Lady herself to the Pentagon, except the promotion was too soon, and he didn't want to believe what the memories not his were providing to go with the appellation of 'the Lady'._

_"But mom doesn't want to leave the Springs. Neither do I; all my friends are there." Charlie had a scowl on his face, though he still didn't look up from his pole. Angry, maybe, or afraid._

_"You can come up for the summer. Make some new friends before school starts." He was grasping at straws, trying to find something that would get Charlie to agree with him, to want to come to DC with him, instead of staying in Colorado Springs with his mother._

_"Maybe." Charlie wrinkled his nose, sounding and looking dubious. "It wouldn't be the same though."_

_There was silence again, stretching out uncomfortably between them as they both focused on poles that wouldn't bend toward the water with a bite. Pretending to fish so they didn't have to talk. Jack almost wanted to open his mouth and declare this all a dream, if he could have figured out how to do so._

_"No one's going to have a problem with your chair." That finally broke the silence, coming from him. He wouldn't let anyone have a problem with Charlie's wheelchair. Not even himself, not where Charlie could see or hear about it. He didn't need the kid feeling guilty about his guilt in not protecting him better._

_"It's not the chair, dad." Charlie sighed, reeling in his empty hook, his expression set mutinously. "I just don't want to move and have to make new friends. I like the ones I have, and I like the school in the Springs, and I'm not going to shuttle back and forth between you and mom, either. I'm staying there."_

_He carefully packed the pole away, even though Jack doubted he really cared if he did or not, and backed the chair off the pier before spinning it around to go back to the cabin as quickly as he could push himself to go._

~ ~~ ~

Jack woke up with his eyes stinging and a dull ache that he told himself wasn't grief, that the tears were just because his eyes were dry or something had gotten into them. The dream had to be nothing more than an overactive imagination fueled by listening to Sam lecturing on parallel universes and some bad carryout. Something that would fade by the time they went on their next mission.

He sat up at the edge of the bed, shaking his head to try dislodging the image of an older Charlie in a wheelchair. Alive and safe, even if he was losing him a little bit at a time. Something he might wish for a moment was real, but knew couldn't be anything more than a dream to him, no matter how vivid a dream it had been.

The alarm went off, and he reached out to turn it off automatically before he headed for his bathroom. No time for lingering dreams, he had a battle to wage with paperwork.

**Author's Note:**

>  **Prompt:** Optimistic (#599/1000)


End file.
